Hunter, harvest numbers up for final weekend – MFWP
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Headlines – Region 5
BILLINGS — The number of hunters who stopped at south central Montana check stations during the final weekend of the general season – and the number of animals checked – were well above last year. But, for the season, the number of hunters who checked game was the lowest in at least seven years.
Mild weather and a slow harvest earlier in the year drove hunters into the field for the long Thanksgiving weekend. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks check stations at Lavina, Columbus and Laurel all reported significantly more hunters compared to the same weekend in 2008. Only the Big Timber check station saw fewer hunters than last year.
The Big Timber hunters were the most successful in the region, however, with 60.4 percent harvesting an elk or deer. FWP wildlife biologist Justin Paugh said the number of mule deer was significantly lower than last year (53 compared to 71), but the elk harvest was up slightly. The 60.4 percent of successful hunters was below last year’s 67.2 percent, but near the long-term average.
For the 2009 season, Paugh said, hunter numbers were 10 percent below average, mule deer harvest was 24 percent below average, elk harvest was 33 percent above average and white-tailed deer harvest was near average.
At the Laurel check station, FWP wildlife research specialist Jay Watson said 35 percent more hunters stopped over the weekend than stopped in 2008. The success rate was slightly below last year, however. Hunters reported that the mule deer rut was mostly over while white-tailed deer still showed signs of rutting activity. Of the buck deer checked, 74 percent were 2.5 years old or older, Watson said. Antlerless animals made up 48 percent of mule deer and 54 percent of white-tailed deer.
At Columbus, FWP wildlife biologist Shawn Stewart said more hunters stopped at the check station than any other weekend this year. White-tailed deer and mule deer numbers also were the best so far in 2009. For the entire year, the number of hunters who stopped at the Columbus check station was near the long-term average. The white-tailed deer harvest was 30 percent above average and nearly matched the check station record while the mule deer harvest was slightly below normal.
At the Lavina check station, FWP wildlife biologist Jay Newell reported that the number of hunters during the final weekend of the season was 19.6 percent higher than 2008. But the numbers of mule deer, white-tailed deer and elk brought through the check station all were significantly lower than last year.
. For the entire year, hunter numbers at Lavina were 10.2 percent below the long-term average. The number of hunters with game was the lowest on record at 26.2 percent. The long-term average is 34.4 percent. The mule deer harvest was off 36.1 percent while the white-tailed deer harvest was down 18.3 percent from the long-term average.
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